The Teaching and Learning Innovation Digest - May 2023

e/TURNING TO
TEACHING IN PERSON
Artistic representation to contextualize my
reformed Teaching and Learning Pedagogy
Priti Parikh
Program Coordinator and Faculty of Community Services and Child Studies
Foundations, School of Community and Health Studies (SCHS)
This original art is a representation to
contextualize the realization and recreation
of my Teaching and Learning Pedagogy postpandemic.
The art form used here is a fusion
of two Folk Arts of India called Madhubani and
Warli Art. This representation is a reminder
for me to stay connected to my Teaching and
Learning Pedagogy which has transformed and
deepened post-pandemic.
I have realized that it is important to
stay connected and rooted in my own
culture first and to celebrate those of
my students. I now realize our fragility,
interdependency, and interconnectedness
as social beings. The isolation and the social
anxiety associated with the experience during
the pandemic has helped me to realize
the importance of connectedness to one’s
self and others. This is explained in my art
where I place myself centrally in a meditation
pose; connecting to elements I relate to
culturally. The coloured circles and the green
vines growing around me represent the various
elements of connectivity to the diverse students
represented in bright and vibrant coloured
circles which surround me.
The green ‘lifeline’ on the base of this art
depicts a better understanding and sensitivity
towards life in general. I continue to emphasize
the following even more: teaching from the
heart, respect for life, and reciprocity and
compassion for all learners.
Further, the three green vines, moving upwards
represent the value of growth and personal
development of self and all learners. This is
not limited to the class content and the need
to encourage students to use all college
resources available, the need to support
learners to succeed, and take time to reach
out to those who need support. The colourful
flowers on the vines are the representation
of the ‘fruits’ of hard work, commitment, and
trust in self and the learners. I realize that
the pandemic has left a long-lasting impact
in unique ways on each person I reconnect
with. Keeping this in perspective as I teach
in person is critical to creating trusting
environments again.
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